Despite declaring state of emergency on education, one year after Solacebase report, Kano govt. leaves community school with primary 1–3 taking lessons at a time in one class, 4–6 in another
By Aliyu Inuwa Mansur & Suhaib Auwal
One year after SolaceBase exposed the appalling conditions at Faradaci Primary School in Sumaila Local Government Area of Kano State, a follow-up investigation reveals that not a single block has been rehabilitated.
As the rainy season looms once again, over 500 pupils remain crammed into two dilapidated classrooms, learning under life-threatening conditions.
This persistent neglect raises uncomfortable questions about the priorities of the Kano State government, which allocated a staggering ₦95 billion to the education sector in its 2024 budget and an additional ₦ 168,350,802,346,19, which represents 31.00 per cent in the 2025 budget, making education one of the most heavily funded sectors in the state.
Yet, in Faradaci, where the only existing primary school serves hundreds of children from surrounding villages, not even basic repairs have been carried out. Despite repeated government promises, children still sit on bare floors, sharing overcrowded spaces with leaking roofs, broken walls, and poor ventilation.
A Year Later: Still Forgotten
When SolaceBase first visited Faradaci Primary School on May 17, 2024, the school was on the brink of collapse. Teachers were forced to merge classes due to destroyed roofing, while the community pleaded for urgent intervention. Today, the same cries echo across ruined corridors.
“We’re worse off than last year,” a teacher who requested anonymity told SolaceBase. “The buildings are not only unfit for learning—they’re dangerous. Once we see clouds gathering, we send the children home.”
Currently, pupils from Primary 1 to 3 share one overcrowded classroom. Primary 4 to 6 share another. The remaining structures are completely abandoned: roofless, wall-less, and overtaken by weeds.
Community at Breaking Point
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Residents of Faradaci, a rural settlement 75 kilometres from Kano city, say they are on the verge of pulling their children out of school entirely. Murtala Muhammed, a parent, fears for the safety of his children.
“How do you put over 500 children in two rooms and call it a school? When it starts raining, we have no choice but to keep our children at home,” he said.
Musa Isyaku Musa, another resident, expressed his anguish: “We are not asking for luxury. We just want a safe environment where our children can learn.”
The school’s challenges go beyond infrastructure. Teachers have to improvise with inadequate teaching materials, and the land on which the school is built is not even owned by the government, preventing any long-term investment or expansion.
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“We can’t renovate or expand because the land belongs to a nearby Islamiyya school,” said a teacher, Abdullahi Yahaya (Not real name). “We’re stuck.”
Promises Made, Promises Broken
After SolaceBase published the initial report in 2024, then Commissioner of Education, Umar Haruna Doguwa, acknowledged the problem and promised immediate intervention.
“These are challenges we inherited, but we are committed to fixing them,” Doguwa said at the time.
However, one year later, that promise remains unfulfilled. In an attempt to understand the government’s inaction, SolaceBase reached out again to the Ministry of Education.
The inquiry revealed a bureaucratic maze.
With a recent change in leadership at the ministry—Commissioner Doguwa was replaced by Ali Bukar Makoda—it took nearly two weeks of follow-ups to secure an official response. Eventually, the ministry’s Public Relations Officer referred SolaceBase to the Permanent Secretary, Alhaji Bashir Baffa Muhammad.
Shockingly, the Permanent Secretary claimed ignorance of the school’s condition.
“The school did not report early to SUBEB,” he said. “There are over 130 new schools being constructed this year and renovations ongoing in more than 450 schools. But we haven’t received any report from Faradaci about congestion or classroom damage.”
When reminded that SolaceBase’s 2024 report had publicly documented the crisis, the Permanent Secretary added:
“We’ll visit the school before the end of May. If the situation is as described, we will take appropriate action.”
Out of over 450 schools reportedly renovated, Faradaci Primary School—arguably the most visibly deteriorated—was not among them. Nor is it on any documented renovation list.
“Maybe the school didn’t send a formal report,” the Permanent Secretary repeated. “But now that we’re aware, we will act.”
A Community on Hold
For the parents and pupils of Faradaci, the new promises sound all too familiar.
“We are tired of hearing ‘soon,’” said Armaya’u Musa, a father of two. “The rain is coming. Our children will suffer again. How many more years will it take?”
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A community leader, Malam Jazuli Kabiru Idris, says they have written multiple letters, held meetings with education officials, and even tried to raise funds for minor repairs. “What else can we do?” he asked. “We’ve done our part. It’s the government that has failed us.”
Faradaci Primary School has become a symbol of institutional neglect. In a state where billions are earmarked for education, its continued decay exposes the gaps between policy and implementation, between promises and action.
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